IndiGo hikes allowances for Pilots from January 1

Indigo, the nation's largest airline, has revised cockpit crew allowances including payments for domestic layovers, deadhead flights, night flying, transit stops and tail-swaps. The changes will take effect from January 1, 2026, according to an internal circular sent to pilots.

Domestic layover allowances, which compensate pilots for staying away from home overnight or for several hours while on duty, have been increased 50% for stays between 10:01 hours and 24 hours, according to the circular, a copy of which was seen by ET.

Captains will now receive ₹3,000, up from ₹2,000, while first officers will get ₹1,500, up from ₹1,000. For layovers beyond 24 hours, captains will earn ₹150 per hour and first officers ₹75 per hour.


Deadhead allowances, paid when pilots travel to another airport without operating a flight, have been increased 33.3%. Captains will now get ₹4,000 per scheduled block hour, up from ₹3,000, while first officers will receive ₹2,000, up from ₹1,500.

Night flying allowances, which reward pilots for operating flights during late-night hours (between midnight and 6 am), have been replaced with a fixed hourly payout. Captains will earn ₹2,000 and first officers ₹1,000 per night hour.

"Night Hours are defined based on Indian Standard Time (IST) and encompass the time span between 0000 and 0600 hrs," the circular said.

IndiGo has also introduced a tail-swap allowance for the first time. Pilots operating a different aircraft than planned or swapping aircraft during the same duty period will receive ₹1,500 for captains and ₹750 for first officers.